


revelations

by fagstar



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fear, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Thoughts, Men Crying, No beta we die like lmanburg, POV Third Person Omniscient, Past Abuse, Past Suicidal Thoughts, Present Tense, Vulnerability, o7 - Freeform, spoilers for up to jan 6 2021 streams, this is not ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28625034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fagstar/pseuds/fagstar
Summary: Dream smiles again, and when he speaks, the hot anger is replaced with icy, paralyzing fear. “Tommy…”And then Tommy isn’t above what was once L’Manburg. He’s standing before a pit, armourless, inventory empty, squeezing his eyes shut as tnt detonates. He can’t think, can’t breathe. His ears are filled with static and all his senses have been replaced with fear and dread and despair.He hasn’t even realized he’s moving until Tubbo, voice small and confused and shaky, says, “Tommy, what are you doing?”____in which flashbacks are had and secrets about a certain green man are revealed
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 22
Kudos: 412





	revelations

**Author's Note:**

> ok i was mad at c!dream and also c!phil and c!techno and found a sick prompt from my favourite tumblr user flypaw so i made this enjoy

They're standing high above the ground, on a grid made of obsidian that Dream has used to destroy their home. It’s raining, and Tommy is soaked through his armour, clothes plastered to him as if a second skin, hair dripping down his face. The droplets have cut lines in the ash and soot and dust and blood that’s stuck to his face. It’s nighttime, and it’s raining and it’s cold. But still, a fire burns under Tommy’s skin. 

He’s beside Tubbo, and that gives him strength. The knowledge that his best friend will always be by his side lends him the determination to keep on fighting. L’Manburg is gone. The land has been destroyed, ravaged by withers and tnt in a war that seems to never end, but L’Manburg was never a place. It was a people. And the people have gone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Quackity walking over. Technoblade is on the far side of the grid, still firing projectiles at Tommy’s allies. Are they allies? Tommy doesn’t know. Sapnap is closer, destroying a repeater. Phil is somewhere up here, assisting Technoblade in the destruction of his youngest son’s home.

Tommy has about half of his armour from before the battle in his inventory, but a netherite chestplate and turtle shell helmet don’t make him feel any safer up here, where the wind could, with even a soft breeze, send him spinning down, down, down to the ruins below.

Tubbo looks up at him as Tommy blinks water out of his eyes. A silent conversation is had, and they take two steps before a voice sounds from behind them.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

It’s Dream. A chill creeps down Tommy’s back as he spins to face the man. Tubbo’s hand finds his and gives it a reassuring squeeze before retreating. 

“What the fuck do you want, dickhead?” Tommy spits. He doesn’t want to talk to Dream. Not now, not ever. But there’s no escape up here.

“Tommy, our story isn’t over. The story of L’Manburg is over, but ours isn’t.”

Tommy draws his sword. It’s borrowed, picked up from the ground somewhere in the wreckage.

“The fuck it isn’t,” he counters. Dream’s mask seems to mock him, with its ever-present smile. “I’ll get the discs back, and this will all be over.”

“I don’t think our story will be over anytime soon, Tommy. You’re too… fun.” Dream smiles behind the mask. Tommy can hear the smile in his voice, and it fuels the anger coursing through his veins.

“Oh, this will be over very soon.” Quackity is standing shortly behind them now, and Sapnap is on a platform to the right of Dream, glaring at his former friend in anger. Even Technoblade has inched closer to here what Dream has to say.

Dream smiles again, and when he speaks, the hot anger is replaced with icy, paralyzing fear. “Tommy…”

And then Tommy isn’t above what was once L’Manburg. He’s standing before a pit, armourless, inventory empty, squeezing his eyes shut as tnt detonates. He can’t think, can’t breathe. His ears are filled with static and all his senses have been replaced with fear and dread and despair.

He hasn’t even realized he’s moving until Tubbo, voice small and confused and shaky, says, “Tommy, what are you doing?”

All at once, his head clears and he can hear the wind again, whistling past his ears, and rain is running down his back and he registers that he’s holding his chestplate and his helmet’s already on the ground. He blinks once, twice, and everyone is staring at him.

“I-” he starts, but he doesn’t know what to say. What can he say? His hands tighten around the shimmering metal and Dream smirks at him.

“That’s right, Tommy. Let’s make this easy. Hand it over.”

Everyone’s eyes are on him as he shrinks under Dream’s gaze, feeling as impossibly small and weak and alone as he did back there, in exile. He shifts nervously.

“I don’t…”

Tubbo butts in. “Tommy, what’s going on?” He looks between Tommy and Dream. Sapnap catches his eye from where he is nearer Dream and he shrugs.

Tommy nearly flinches as Tubbo puts a hesitant hand on his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut and exhaling sharply at the touch. Phil’s eyes bore into him from where he is, near Technoblade, who watches with feigned disinterest. 

Dream extends a hand as Quackity speaks up. “What the hell’s going on?”

“Tommy,” Dream begins, “was about to give me his armour,” he turns to Tommy again, fixing his gaze on him, cowering, “weren’t you?”

“Aw, c’mon Tommy, speak up,” drawls Technoblade. Tubbo’s eyes flicker over to him momentarily, before coming back to rest on Tommy’s hunched form.

“Tommy…” Dream says slowly, a threat barely concealed in his voice. Tommy closes his eyes as silent tears threaten to escape. His fingers hurt from clutching the cold metal chestplate in his hands. 

Biting his lip to keep from sobbing, Tommy throws the chestplate at Dream’s feet and skitters back a good few metres. He feels simultaneously relieved and humiliated. Everyone’s still staring at him.

Dream hums approvingly from where he is before stepping forward to collect Tommy’s armour.

“Thank you, Tommy,” he says. “Next time you pull a stunt like that, though, you’re lighting the tnt.”

A wave of _ “What?”, “Huh?”, “Tnt? _ ” ripples through the small group of bystanders. Smoothly, Dream pulls out a piece of tnt, takes a step forward, and places it. He throws Tommy’s armour on top of it, and then it’s hissing, flashing white as it charges up.

Tommy braces himself for it, squeezing his eyes tightly and turning his bowed head away. He hates the sound of tnt. Tubbo flinches as it explodes.

It’s silent.

Tommy can’t hear anything except his own breathing. No one speaks, all stood in shocked silence. All but Dream, that is.

“Well, I’m going away, for a little while. Far away. I doubt any of you will see me anytime soon.” 

(“Good riddance,” scoffs Quackity. Dream ignores him.)

Looking up meekly, Tommy flinches back as Dream takes a step towards him. For a moment, Dream looks victorious, but Tubbo steps in front of him, preventing him from walking further and staring up at him indignantly. Dream huffs. “Remember what I’ve told you, Tommy.”

Tommy flinches again. Dream grins, and then turns and pearls away.

Now that Dream’s gone, all the attention is back on him.

“Tommy?” Tubbo asks slowly, placatingly. Tommy says nothing. He stares pointedly at the thin obsidian ledge he stands on and wrings his hands.

“Tommy, what was that?” Sapnap asks. He’s made his way over to the small group and now stands shortly behind Tubbo.

“I- um…” Tommy trails off. Again, he doesn’t know what to say. How does he even begin to explain it? The inexplicable panic, the chilling terror that spreads across his skin and courses through his veins and fills his mind every time Dream uses that tone? The helplessness and despair that comes with the memories of his exile, of being completely, utterly alone?

He startles when a hand is placed on his shoulder. Looking up, he jerks out of Phil’s grip.

“Don’t touch me,” he says. Phil steps back a few steps, his hands held up in front of him placatingly.

“Okay, sorry mate,” he says. Tubbo glares at him. Technoblade is on a different platform, closer but still farther away than Sapnap. 

“ _ Mate _ ”. One of Phil’s more annoying favourite nicknames. Tommy hates it when Phil calls him mate. It’s just a reminder of how Phil doesn’t really think of him as his son. Even though he is. Phil considers Wilbur a son. Why not Tommy? Why is Tommy tossed aside?

“Don’t call me mate, Phil,” Tommy spits bitterly, tiredly. “You lost any right to call me anything other than my name when you sided with your son’s abuser over your son.”

Phil ruffles his feathers, looking distinctly uncomfortable. His mouth opens as if to reply, but he closed it when nothing comes out. Behind him, Tubbo stares with wide eyes.

“Wh- what?” he stutters.

Tommy sighs and rubs his eyes, brushing away tears that had welled up.

“You thought I’d died, Tubbo.” 

Tubbo nods, face uncertain.

Tommy sighs again. “Did you, did any of you, ever stop to wonder _why_ I tried to fucking jump?”

Tubbo’s face falls. He steps forward, hand outstretched, but Tommy moves away, face in his hands.

“I’m sorry. I- I can’t talk about this. Not now. I… I have to go. Sorry.” 

He turns to leave. 

“Tommy… what did Dream  _ do _ to you?” Sapnap’s voice, sad and strained, stops him.

Tommy stops. “Do you really want to know? Do you really want me to tell you that your best friend is a monster?” Sapnap swallows. Tommy fiddles with his hands, breathing deeply before letting everything out. “He took everything. Any armour or tools I made, materials, food, everything. Would dig a pit and blow it all up.” Tommy pauses. “Sometimes he’d make me do it myself. If I was too slow throwing everything in, if I mouthed off, he’d smack me around a bit.”

Tubbo makes a wounded noise, and Tommy continues. 

“He hit me a bit more later on, but never a lot. I was just… all alone. No one around for thousands of blocks, no one to hear me when I cried alone at night, no one to tell me he was wrong when Dream told me, day in and day out, that he was my only friend because nobody else cared about me. He told me nobody loved me because I was unlovable. And nobody ever visited, except for Ranboo a few times and a few other people once - but half the time they didn’t even come to speak to me.” Tommy scrubs at his eyes with his hands, looking every bit the child he is. All eyes are on him, everyone else waiting for him to continue with bated breaths.

“I woke up every morning in the sea, drowning, and some days I could barely bring myself to swim up,” he confessed quietly.

“Tommy,” Tubbo whimpers, and runs to him, skirting around Phil in his dash to Tommy. He pulls Tommy into a tight hug, burying his face into his friend’s neck. Tommy’s arms wrap around him and hold him equally as tight. It’s assurance that they’re both here. They’re both safe and alive and breathing.

Tommy’s eyes flick up to Sapnap, who is watching with watery eyes, a horrified look on his face and a hand slapped over his mouth. Shakily, he lowers it.

“I visited you Tommy, at the beginning. Was he already… hurting you? Had it already started, and I completely missed it?”

After a moment of silence, Tommy buries his face in Tubbo’s hair.

“We went to the portal. And while you and Ghostbur and Dream were here, looking at the christmas tree, I… I tried to jump off the bridge.”

A cracked cry escapes Sapnap’s mouth before he replaces his hand. Tubbo is hugging him tighter, clutching the back of his wet shirt like a lifeline. Quackity’s face is pained.

“Oh my god…” Sapnap looks like he’s about to cry. “Tommy, I… I’m so sorry. I should have noticed.”

Quackity nodded. “Me too,” he adds. “I visited you too, Tommy. I should have noticed it too.”

Tommy shakes his head. “It’s not your fault, it’s Dream’s for being a manipulative, abusive green bastard.”

They both nod. There’s a moment of silence before anyone speaks again. “Um, we’ve got to get back to El Rapids,” Sapnap says awkwardly. “Karl needs to talk to us.”

“Alright,” Tommy says, cheek still on Tubbo’s head. “See you guys. Thank you for your help tonight, even though everything’s gone. I won’t forget it. Be safe.”

Sapnap dips his head and Quackity waves before they turn and make their way off this grid of destruction.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Tubbo murmurs lowly when they’re gone, sending vibrations over the skin of Tommy’s neck.

Technoblade chooses this moment to pipe up. “That may be a problem. See, even if Dream abused you, Phil and I are Dream’s allies, and you killin’ him won’t fly with me.”

Phil sends Techno a venomous glare, beating Tommy to his response.

“That man stopped being my ally the moment I found out he hurt my son.”

Tommy scoffs. “I don’t really care if you’re Dream’s ally, Phil.”

He blanches, blinking dumbly as he tries to formulate a response. “Wh- what?”

“I don’t care if you’re Dream’s ally. You are not my father,” Tommy spits out, “and I am not your son. There is no relation. Go run around with your favourite hypocritical anarchist and child abuser green man. I don’t care.”

While Phil is struck dumb, Tommy unlatches himself from Tubbo. 

“I’m leaving now. Phil, Techno, don’t try to contact me. I don’t care what you have to say. Bye.”

He takes Tubbo’s hand and they turn and leave. Finding a way off the grid is difficult, and they have to carefully traverse the narrow obsidian ledges connecting the platforms, but eventually they find a way down and clamber off the grid. 

Once they’re on solid ground, Tommy lets out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding. Distantly, he can hear Phil and Techno arguing, but he tunes it out. All he cares about right now is Tubbo.

Tubbo’s standing beside him, staring up at him with concerned eyes, and Tommy smiles softly when they make eye contact. Despite everything he’s been through, despite everything that’s happened, Tubbo makes him feel safe. Even here, amongst the ruins of their home, Tommy feels secure.

He reaches down and takes Tubbo’s hand, and a smile slowly spreads across his friend’s face.

“Let’s go home, Tubbo.”

Tubbo nods, and together they walk off.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope u enjoyed! this was really fun to write because i liked experimenting with using present tense instead of past and i thought it was gonna be under 1k words but it made it to 2.3k.. pogchamp! pls leave a comment and stay tuned bc i have plans for another fic very soon !!!


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